Gun barrel lock



lllll'll 4, 1944., H. scHlRoKAUER 2,345,833.

- GUN BARREL Loox Filed March 24, 1942 J n i lz vl@ vue/n im', HenrySchirm/fader,

Patented Apr. 4, 1944 UNITED STAT ES misses GUN BARREL LOCK.

Henry Schirokauer, New York, N. Y., assgoi" to SchirgurlI Corporatiomacorporation ol Dela- Application March 24, 1942, Serial No. 436,032

(Cl. i2- 75) V- Claims.

VThe invention relatesl to mechanism flor locking. the gun barrel inthegun frame. While gun barrels generally should be readily demountable itis, of course, important that when. the gun is in use the barrel be moreorl'ess rigidly locked in place in the frame, so asto be heldY more orless immovable and properly meet the stress caused by the ring of thegun.

The present invention is not confined to use in any specic type of gunand phases of the irivention may` be readilyV adapted and employed' i'nguns of many different characters. For ex-V planatory' purposes theinvention as applied' to one type of gun may be referred to. t may beparticularly' convenient for this purpose to describe a locking devicerin an automatic' or' semi;- aut'omatio gun in which there maybe mounted'in the frame parallel to` the gun barrel a cylinder tube inY which acylinderis' operated by explosion gases ofv the gun.

In such an arrangementthe' gun barrel itself may beseated in a socketinv a' fram-e and' mayJ be provided with a step or enlarged portionadapted to t snugly against the fram-e;

There may bea-n opening inthe frame' through' which may pass a,rlocking-member to engage the barrel. The looking member may have onevside engage a side of the opening inA the frame. At its other sidethelocking member may be pro-- videdV with` a. seat for engaging the gun-ibarrel. The engagement may preferably be an arcshaped tapered engagementproviding a. large surface contact.. The' seat onthei locking member'may be tapered' or bevelledi andmay engage a portion or recess in.; thegun. barret appropriately tapered or' bevelled tot cooperate therewithork only one surface. may be tapered'.` The` arrangement thuswill besuch that thel locking member. tends to: bind between the edge of theopening in the framel and the gun barrely irr such. a way as to; draw'and hold the projection or seat onthe gunbarrel tightly inr placeagainst the. frame.

The. locking, memberV may be supported; adl- J'usted, operated'and'held- 'or' fastened. in any suitable manner. A speciiic adaptationY oi"the invention may contemplateY a'y U-sh'aped' locking member pivotedfbetween its ends about the' pis'- tony cylinder, the locking memberwhich'V maybe bevell'ed or taperedbeing arranged? at one end'- and" theother end' beingv provided? with an adijusting: means suchv as a thumbscrew.;Y which may-bear against the adjacentside of thetlframe in. sucha Way as to pullA and4 hold-the lock-ing memberV tightly and snugly incontact with theappropriate portions ofv the opening; inthe frame andthe part of the barrel to beengaged.

In the accompanying. drawing-is shown. one specific .emb odimentof. the.invention.. Figure l-is aside elevationof a gun embodyingthe-improvedgun barrel lock. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal transverse sectionon the line 2==2 di Fig. 1 looking in the directinindicated by thearrows. Fig.v 3 is; a; transverse verticalr section through thelockinggm'eehanism showingit in engaging position. Fig;4is-atransversevertical,section similar to Fig. 3 showing the lockingmechanism in unenga'ged position. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlargedsection of the lock engaging portion indicated in Fig. 2 somewhatdeformed to emphasize phases. vThe Various gures are made on differentscales,- for the purpose of more clearly lindicating the ldetails of themechanism.

The invention: may be employed'with guns of various types but has-beenillustrated in connection' with an automatic or semiautomatic gun inwhich. there vis a barrel Il; held A the nframe i Iiwhich also holdsagas--tube IZLwhich may act as the cylinderior., apiston-causing theoperation of thegun. This mechanismis known in vthe art andformsnojpa'rt. of lthe present invention and therefore need not be furtherdescribed.v The cylindrical tube |22n shown is ar-` rangedv inA thecasing. IIlp'arall'el. `toV the barrel IU. Asr shown the tube l2``'tsiin a seat or socket in the frame' l'f above the barrel f' whichitself has a seatA orA socket `l3` in the frame Il. VOn the barrel l''is a projection shown as? a ring Ifi' which may engage the end ofv theseat f3 and' properly position the b'ar'r'el in the frame" l'l. It willbe noted thatV the' enlargement I4' is'toward the front end' oftne'barrei' It' so that the' barrel may' be inserted into its seat'.v|y3j`byibeing' placed' therein from'thefront end of the frame ll.`

A slot. or' aperture l5jis provided in the upper part of the frame Il'soas to expose both"' the tube ill and the barrel' l0. may be rotatablyvmounted in any s uitableman` ner such as on the tube I2 a' barrellocking mechanism Hi which as shown is-madeK more or less U-shaped" inform having onel dependingt arm Il' extending outsidethe frame Il atwhichy point it is threaded to receive ascrew I8 having a knurled head'I8'. mayfengage thetf'ace'fof the frame H soV as to adjust thelockin'gmechanism.

Atthe' slot the barrel IB is provided with al circumferentially disposedarc-shaped slot 2`= which is adjustedto be open onthe side of thebarrelV oppositethe screw f8; The rearward edge of the:- srl'ot 2Umaybe-suitably bevelledfas'at" 2li,

the' taper being inward tbvalfd thebottom ofI the' slot'Z. The arm 22oflthe locking member I6.- opposite the arm. Hi's more or less:arc-shaped.l but preferably ona radiussomewha'tlarger-than the radiusfofthev` barrel i0". Preferablythe` front side23of the arm'22fis flatforstraight'and'make's contactzwiththe frame Il` at thetro'nt edge of theopening-l5?. Th'ezrear side -of the arm 22 may bebevel-led'or tapered atMaso astoengage the bevelled wall 2lof. the barrelv lli.A As, in dicatedin Fig. 4 when the screw I3 is unscrewed At this slotv there' The: endofthe screw l in its seat the screw I8 may be screwed in and as its endengages the frame I I it will force the bevelled edge 24 of the arm'22into engagement with the bevelled edge 2| of the barrel slot.

This tends to jam the arm 22 between its eni.

gagement at 23 with the frame VII Vand, the. bevelled face 2| on thebarrel IU. At' the same time this action pulls the stopor collar I4 onthe barrel snugly into engagement with the front end of the frame I Thisholds or locks the barrel tightly into its seat in the frame so astoiresist the tendency to movement caused by the fir-V ing of the gun.

In order to make the locking member I6 operate it must be moved towardor from the axis of the barrel. This may be done in a variety of ways.One convenient Way of providing for this movement is shown in thedrawing, by pivoting the locking member in the frame on the cylinder I2.Y

The bevelled v surface 24 on the arm 22 is arcuate and extended in areaso that as the locking member I6 is operated it may readily adjustitself and reach a proper seat on the arcuate bevelled lportion 2| ofthe gun barrel YAs indicated in Fig. Zand Fig. -the slot 20 in thebarrel Ii) is somewhat larger than the width of the arm 22 of the lock.The edge of the opening in the frame overhangs the front Wall of theslot 2'so that adjustment or Wear is taken care of. It will be notedthat there is a space between the front edge 23 of the arm 22 and thefront edge of the slot 2D.j Similarly the rear wall 25 of the Vslot `inVthe frame is spaced away from the rear wall of the arm I'I so that'asthe members wear adjustment is possible and the parts will not bind outof locking position. This arrangement not only allows for continuedopere ation of the locking mechanism if there should be wear in theparts but also provides for tolerance in manufacture so that slightinaccuracies which may be unavoidablemay not interfere with theeifective operation of the device. It willbe noted Ythat the contact ofthe bevelled surfaces 2| and 24 is about 90 against the "direction'o'fthe forces which try to move the barrel out on firing thegun. This maybe a' most convenient arrangement butit is not essential to all phasesof the invention. It will be noted that the locking is here effected bythe engagement of two bevelledY surfaces 2| and 24. This may beanadvantage and may provide especially effective locking but is notessential since locking might be carried out if one or the other of thesurfaces 2| and 24 were straight instead of bevelled so that there mightbe a point or line wedgingcontact between the members instead ofthesurface contact illustrated. f v,

It will be noted that thebevelled edge 24 of the arm 22 is arc-shapedand on a radius which may be somewhat larger than the radius of thebarrel I0 and also larger than the radius of the bottom of the slot 20in the barrel. This arrangement may not be essential but may beparticularly desirable since it aiords easy insertion and' withdrawal ofthe barrel when the arm 22 is moved only a slight distance so as not tointerfere with. the barrel. At the same time this arrangement by thisvariation of radius of the arcs allows a goodseat and a large faceYcontact between the bevelled portions 2| and 24. The

actual arrangement illustrated in which the various arcs may be ofdifferent radii and drawn from different centers may be advantageous butis not essential to the present invention. It will be noted, however,that in Fig. 3 the center of the arc of the arm 22 may be to the rightof the "center of the barrel I0, while in the unengaged positionindicated in Fig. 4 the center of the arc rof the arm 22 may be to theleft of the center of the barrel I0.

It will be noted that when released the locking mechanism I6 may be heldfrom swinging too far out of' position by a stop 2G which may be acontinuous portion of the frame II bridging the slot I5 in the frame. Y

The mountings and the operation of the device as well as the relativevsizes, proportions and arrangement may be varied within wide limitswithout departing from the pr'esentinvention set out in the appendedYclaims. f

I claim as my invention:

1. In a gun, a frame, a barrel in the frame, a projection on the barrelat the frame entrance, an arcuate recess in the barrel, a'lat wall onthe front side of the recess, a `tapered wall on the rear side of therecess, a 4cylindrical tube in the frame parallel to the barrel, alocking member having'two arms and pivoted between the arms on thecylindrical tube, an arcuate tapered surface on one side of one arm, aflat surface on the other side of the last mentioned arm,A the lastmentioned arm being adapted and arranged to extend through the frame andinto the arcuate recess in the barrel, and a bolt threaded through theother arm and engaging the frame so as to cause the tapered side of thefirst mentioned arm to engage the tapered wall of the barrel recess toforce the projection on the barrel into close engagement with the frameand also force the at side of the first mentioned arm into closeengagement with the frame.

2. In a gun, a frame, a barrel in the frame, a projection on the barrelat the frame entrance, an arcuate recess in the barrel, a tapered wallon the rear side of the recess, a locking member having two arms andpivoted between the arms on theY framean arcuate tapered surface on oneside of one arm, a flat surface on the other side of Vthe last mentionedarm, the last mentioned arm being adapted and arranged to extend throughthe frame and into the arcuate recess in the barrel, and a bolt threadedthrough the other arm and engaging the frame so as to cause the taperedside of the iirst mentioned arm to engage the tapered wall of the barrelrecess to force the projection on the barrel into close Vengagement withthe frame and also forcel the .flat s ide of the rst mentioned arm vintoclose engagement with the frame. t Y

3. In a gun, aframe,fa barrel in. the frame, a projection on the barrelAat the framenentran'ce, a recess in the barrel, a tapered wallon therear x side of the recess, a locking member having two (i ii arms andpivoted between the arms on the frame, a tapered surface on one side ofone arm, the last mentioned arm being adapted and arranged to extendthrough the frameand into the recess in the barrel, and a bolt threadedthrough the other arm and engaging the frame so as to cause the taperedside of the rst mentioned arm to engage the tapered wallv of the barrelrecess to force the projection on thebarrel into close engagement withthe frame and also force the other side of the first mentioned arm intoclose engagement with the frame.

4. In a gun, a frame, a barrel in the frame, a stop for the barrel, arecess in the barrel, a tapered wall on the rear side of the recess, alocking member having two arms and Ipivoted between the arms on theframe, a tapered surface on one side of one arm, the last mentioned armbeing adapted and arranged to extend through the frame and into therecess in the barrel, and means on the other arm to cause the taperedside of the irst mentioned arm to engage the tapered Wall of the barrelrecess so as to force the other side of the first mentioned arm intoclose engagement with the frame.

5. In a gun, a frame, a barrel in the frame, a stop for the barrel, arecess in the barrel, a tapered wall on the rear side of the recess, acylindrical tube in the frame parallel to the barrel, a locking memberhaving two arms and pivoted between the arms on the frame, a taperedsurface on one side of one arm, the last mentioned arm being adapted andarranged to extend through an opening in the frame out of contact withthe rear wall of the opening and into the recess in the barrel but outof contact with its front wall, and means on the other arm to cause thetapered side of the first mentioned arm to engage the tapered wall ofthe barrel recess so as to force the other side of the first mentionedarm into close engagement with the frame.

6. In a gun, a frame having an aperture therein, a barrel in the frame,a stop for the frame on the barrel, a bevelled surface on the barreladjacent the aperture, a locking member pivoted in the frame andswinging transversely of the barrel adapted to enter the aperture, abevelled surface on the locking member engaging the bevelled surface onthe barrel to jam the locking member between the bevelled surface andthe side of the aperture and hold the frame against its stop, and meansfor holding the members in engagement.

7. In a gun, a frame having an aperture therein, a barrel in the frame,a stop for the frame on the barrel, a bevelled surface on the barreladjacent the aperture, a locking member pivoted in the frame andswinging transversely of the barrel adapted to enter the aperture out ofcontact with one side thereof, a bevelled surface on the locking memberengaging the bevelled surface on the barrel to jam the locking memberbetween the bevelled surface and the other side of the aperture and holdthe frame against its stop, and means for holding the members inengagement.

8. In a gun, a frame having an aperture therein, a barrel in the frame,a stop for the barrel, a bevelled surface on the barrel adjacent theaperture, a locking member pivoted in the frame and swingingtransversely of the barrel adapted to enter the aperture, a bevelledsurface on the locking member engaging the bevelled surface on thebarrel to jam the locking member between the bevelled surface and theside of the aperture to draw the stop against the frame, and means forholding the members in engagement.

9. In a gun, a frame, a barrel in the frame, a stop for the barrel, anarcuate bevelled surface on the barrel, a locking member pivoted in theframe and swinging transversely of the barrel to engage the frame, anarcuate bevelled surface on the locking member, and means to force thebevelled surfaces into wedging contact adapted and arranged to lock thebarrel in the frame and the frame against the stop.

10. In a gun, a frame, a barrel in the frame, a stop for the barrel, alocking member pivoted in the frame and swinging transversely of thebarrel to engage the frame, a seat in the barrel for the locking member,engaging faces in the locking member and in the seat, an arcuatebevelled surface in at least one of the engaging faces, and means toforce the engaging faces into wedging contact adapted and arranged tolock the barrel in the frame and the frame against the stop.

11. In a gun, a frame, a barrel removably mounted in the frame, a stopfor the barrel, a lock for holding the barrel and the frame in positioncomprising a U-shaped member mounted in a slot in the frame about thebarrel adapted to swing transversely of the barrel, an adjusting memberat one end of the U-shaped member adapted to rest against the frame, abevelled surface on the other end of the U-shaped member, and acorrespondingly bevelled groove in the side of the barrel opposite theadjusting member to receive the bevelled surface at the end of theU-shaped member when the adjusting member engages the frame and arrangedand adapted to draw the frame against the stop.

12. In a gun, a frame, a barrel removably mounted in the frame, a stopon the barrel near the end adapted to fit against the frame a groove onthe barrel spaced from the stop, a lock for the barrel comprising aU-shaped locking member, a slot in the frame to receive the lockingmember and hold it about the barrel, an adjusting member on one end ofthe U-shaped member, a bevelled surface on the opposite end of theU-shaped member and means for operating the adjusting means to cause thebevelled surfaces to form a close wedge in the groove of the barrel toforce the barrel rearward of the frame and bring the stop on the barrelin close contact with the frame.

13. In a gun, a frame, a barrel in the frame, a stop for the barrel, atransverse slot in the barrel, a transversely moving locking membernarrower than the slot mounted on the frame, an aperture in the framewider than the locking member and i in register with the slot, and meansfor forcing the locking member into the slot and aperture and intocontact with the forward Wall of the aperture and into wedging contactwith the rear Wall of the slot and arranged and adapted to draw theframe against the stop.

14. In a gun, a frame, a barrel in the frame, a stop for the barrel, atransverse slot in the barrel, a transversely moving locking membernarrower than the slot mounted on the frame, an aperture in the framewider than the locking member, engaging seats on the locking member andthe slot at least one of which is arc-shaped and tapered, and means forforcing the locking member transversely of the barrel and into contactwith the forward wall of the aperture and the rear wall of the slot andarranged and adapted to draw the frame against the stop.

15. In a gun, a frame, a barrel in the frame, a recess in the barrel, atapered wall on the rear side of the recess, a locking member pivotedonthe frame adapted and arranged to extend through the frame and into therecess in the barrel, a tapered surface on one side of the lockingmember, and means to cause the tapered side to engage the tapered wallso as to force the other side of the locking member into closeengagement with the frame and draw the frame into contact with the stop.

HENRY SCHIROKAUER.

